Welcome to CCAO

Mission

The County Commissioners Association of Ohio advances effective county government for Ohio through legislative advocacy, education and training, technical assistance and research, quality enterprise service programs, and greater citizen awareness and understanding of county government.

Legislative Advocacy & Policy Development – Strengthening the Partnership for a Stronger Ohio

Counties act as an arm of state government and represent the state through the delivery of services to residents in areas, such as providing justice and public safety services, workforce preparedness, protecting children, administering elections, serving vulnerable Ohioans and maintaining roads and bridges.

As such, counties are heavily impacted by the Ohio General Assembly’s actions, and it is essential that we continue to prioritize the state/county partnership.

CCAO works to continually strengthen the partnership by providing legislative advocacy on behalf of our members as well as updating our members about legislation and rules impacting county government.

State Advocacy

CCAO develops the association’s Legislative Priorities and Platform for each biennial session of the Ohio General Assembly. To view the current Legislative Program, click here.

CCAO standing committees: Agriculture & Rural Affairs; General Government & Operations; Health & Human Services; Jobs, Economic Development & Infrastructure; Justice & Public Safety; Metropolitan & Regional Affairs; Small County Affairs; Taxation & Finance

Finally, CCAO works within the legal system to stand up for the interests of its members. CCAO often files amicus (Friend of the Court) briefs in lawsuits where legal precedent is likely to be established that could affect the future administration of county government.

Enterprise Services

A cornerstone of CCAO is innovation and harnessing the power of all 88 counties to make each county stronger. Saving money while improving quality is also an important part of the CCAO tradition. The CCAO Board of Directors at different points in our history have identified a county need and charged CCAO to create enterprise service programs to meet that need. Today, CCAO spearheads several distinct and respected service entities created by counties for counties.

CORSA

County Risk-Sharing Authority (CORSA), a property and liability risk sharing pool, was established when traditional liability insurance for counties was either unavailable or unaffordable. It is governed by and for counties to meet counties’ unique needs.

CEBCO

CCAO also operates the County Employee Benefits Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO), CCAO’s health care division, to assist counties with obtaining employee health benefits. The member-owned, self-insured purchasing pool offers members stable and competitive costs, financial strength and a wide variety of wellness and health management services.

CCAO Service Corporation

CCAO formed the Service Corporation to develop or sponsor services that benefit county government. CCAO offers a variety of services, including deferred compensation, workers’ compensation, and energy and natural gas programs, that offer superior services to counties while helping save funds.

CCAO Research and Educational Foundation

CCAO has made a commitment to grow the Research and Educational Foundation to provide the best possible services to our members and minimize dues increases. We need your support to succeed! Founded in 1991, as a not-for-profit charitable foundation for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO), the CCAO Research and Educational Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that obtains grants and donations to provide the high-quality information, tools, and training that our members need, and the public deserves.

Contributions to the foundation are tax deductible and the Ohio Secretary of State’s office has confirmed that a county commissioner’s campaign committee may make a charitable donation to a 501(c)(3) organization, including the CCAO Research and Educational Foundation, so long as it remains federally tax exempt. Also, if you are required to take an annual MRD (minimum required distribution) from a retirement account consult with your tax advisor as any of that MRD given directly to a charity is not taxed.

To learn more about the Foundation, or to make a contribution, please contact Cheryl Subler (csubler@ccao.org, 614-746-8507) or John Leutz (jleutz@ccao.org, 614-299-2800). For your convenience, a donation form is also included